


drowning (a kipo and the age of wonderbeasts one shot)

by thirteen_beaches



Category: Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts (Cartoon)
Genre: 'don't forget a-meow me', Angst, Canon Compliant, Canon Rewrite, During Canon, During s3 episode 4, Emotional, M/M, MILD REWRITE, Sad, and troy, if you squint it could just be canon, no beta we die like men, troy's reaction to the whole emilia situation, with benson
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-17
Updated: 2020-10-17
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:53:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,285
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27065935
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thirteen_beaches/pseuds/thirteen_beaches
Summary: KIPO S3 SPOILERS (TAKES PLACE DURING THE EVENTS OF S3 EPISODE 4: DON'T FORGET A-MEOW ME)when troy find out that emilia has benson, wolf and dave captured, he's already worried. but what happens when he finds out just how far she has gone?
Relationships: Benson Mekler/Troy Sandoval, Benson/Troy (Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts), Troy/Kipo (Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts), dw the second one is cuz theyre besties ty and gn
Comments: 11
Kudos: 94





	drowning (a kipo and the age of wonderbeasts one shot)

“Because, we have your friends.”

Apart from the collective gasps, and the sound of Kipo’s plate of pancakes crashing to the ground, the main hall of the Timbercats was deathly silent. Suddenly, the music that had been playing, the playful teasing conversation between mutes, felt too much, too loud. Because Emilia had gone too far. 

Everyone saw the way Kipo snarled, her eyes morphing into that of a jaguar, her claws literally being drawn as she ran out of the hall, anger in her every pounce. Everyone saw the way Lio cried after her, begging her to stop so they could figure out a plan of action. 

But no one saw Troy, sitting at the back of the room.

He had been talking to an Umlaut snake about music, even trying out some new card tricks that he had wanted to show off to Benson once he got back from the quest he had gone on. But just as he pulled out the Ace of Hearts from ‘thin air’, the message hit him in the chest, causing him to drop his cards, his heart clenching up in pure dread.

_ Benson’s there. She has Benson. She has him. She could be hurting him. _

Troy felt his chest close up, his breathing growing heavier as those thoughts circled in his mind, prodding him, pinching his heart, twisting inside him until he gave into the panic. His vision was also going blurry, and he pushed himself to his feet, any sound muffled as he ran out of the hall into the cold night, the harsh wind cutting him from the high vantage point of Timbercat Village. Troy gulped in air, the sound of his heart thundering in his ears as he rested his head against the trunk of the tree, trying to ground himself, trying to keep himself calm. He numbly registered a loud roar, and he looked up, seeing Kipo as a Mega Jaguar being held back by her mother from running off into the night, and he caught a glimpse of her eyes. The same echo of worry and panic, and anger, stared back at him in a pink hue, and Troy forced himself to take a deep breath, looking up at Kipo, who transformed into her mother’s hand.

_ Kipo and the others would go to get them. Everything would be okay. It had to be okay.  _

He felt someone’s arm wrap around his shoulder, and he turned to see Dahlia looking at him, a sympathetic smile on her face. And Troy sighed, burying his head in her shoulder, taking a deep breath.

“Hey Troy, don’t worry,” Asher said quietly, flashing a small smile. “I mean, I’m pretty sure Emilia will return them before Kipo has to even go there. Dave will just talk her ear off about something or the other.”

“Probably about how her sense of style is off,” Dahlia chimed in, laughing quietly. “Not that he knows anything about style, but he will take any opportunity to destroy her.”

“Oh, and Benson is definitely giving her hell for not eating his pancakes all those months ago!” Asher said with a big smile. At that one, Troy looked up slightly, letting out a quiet giggle, the tear stains dried on his cheeks as he rubbed at them. 

“And Wolf is just antagonising her, because if anyone can be threatening even when captured, my bet’s on them,” Troy said quietly, his voice hoarse and scratchy. 

Dahlia smiled gently, squeezing Troy’s shoulders, as Asher went over to his other side, hugging him. “They’re gonna be okay,” Dahlia said quietly, and Troy nodded quickly, squeezing his eyes shut. “Kipo and the others are gonna get a plan and go get them back.”

“Plus, they’ve just been captured,” Asher said, shrugging. “Now, now that's still bad I know,” they said quickly, eyes wide as they backtracked. “But I meant like, she won’t do anything to them, she’s just trying to reach Kipo. Nothing a little misdirection can’t solve.”

And as Asher and Dahlia walked Troy away from the dining hall trying to find distractions, Troy hoped they were right. 

*

“Seriously, I get they’re keeping morale up but, how can they just play music and act like everything is okay at a time like this?!” Troy growled, punching the branch he, Asher and Dahlia were perched on, trying to find anything and everything to do to try and keep busy as Kipo, Lio and Yumyan were in the main hall, with Mullholland, going over plans. Asher reached up to grab his hand, stopping him from inflicting more damage on himself, as Dahlia sighed, looking down in the direction where banjo music was coming from. 

“You know they’re doing that so everyone doesn’t panic and freak out right?” she said quietly, and Troy groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“I know, Dahlia, but it’s just, ARGH!” he shouted, lunging to punch the branch again, but Asher held onto his hands tightly, glaring at him. 

“I understand Troy,” they said, standing up to face him. “But you getting angry and stressing out is not going to help Kipo, especially if she saw you right now,” they said quietly, looking across at the orange glow from the entrance of the hall. “Thinking about the ‘what ifs’ are not going to help you, Troy.”

Troy looked away, considering Asher’s words, but he just grunted, pulling his hand away as he walked back, preparing to run and jump onto the ball of yarn to cross to the hall. “I can’t just sit by and not do something when my boyfriend has been captured by an evil scientist who clearly is stopping at nothing to get my childhood best friend!” he shouted at the two twins, who stared dumbfounded after him as he swung across.

Troy’s mind was racing at a million miles an hour, and a small part of him was completely aware of the fact that, what he was doing was stupid. He was probably gonna go and make Kipo worry even more than she had to, and that gutted him, She was as close to a little sister he had, with her being 2 years younger to him and all, and the fact that she had to be responsible for saving people and for mutes, it hurt him more than he said. But, he was too blinded in anger and worry, all of his emotions curling like dark smoke in his heart.

Troy landed on the branch, just as he heard Kipo let out a loud, anguished and frustrated scream that silenced even the banjos. The sound caused him to jump back in shock, and he crept forward slowly, approaching the door. As he reached it, he peeked over the corner, seeing Lio, Kipo and Yumyan in a circle, and a water mute (Mullholland, if Troy remembered what Benson had told him correctly), all looking tired and worn out, Kipo’s hair messy.

“Kipo, this is the second time you’re screaming like that,” Lio said, placing a hand on his daughter’s back, as she sat across from his, hunched over as she hid her face. “You can’t let that anger get you and cloud your thinking.”

“We’re getting closer, though,” Yumyan said, but Kipo groaned, standing up, and Troy had to hide a gasp. He had never seen that kind of pure rage in Kipo’s eyes before. Kipo rarely got upset, let alone angry, but at that moment, it looked like there wasn’t much holding her back from going full Mega and tearing Emilia apart.

“I can’t help it, dad!” Kipo yelled, stomping the ground. “I don’t think it’s very easy for me to just not be angry at the fact that this monster wants to ‘cure’ me, and has a nectar bomb hanging over my friends' heads ready to drop at any instant if we fail at this mission!”

_ No. No that couldn’t be true. Emilia didn’t have a nectar bomb over Benson, Wolf and Dave’s head. That would mean, that would mean… _

_ What if he never saw Benson again? _

As soon as that thought came to him, Troy gasped loudly, and he fell backwards. The sound caused all three inside the room to turn to look at the door, and Kipo’s snarl immediately melted into a look of shock and guilt, and she gasped, covering her mouth with her hands. Lio turned to look at Troy, and the sheer heartbreak and distraught in his eyes crushed him, and he immediately ran forward, going over to hold onto Troy.

“Troy, I’m, I’m so sorry, I didn’t, I didn’t know you, you were there,” Kipo mumbled, tears rolling down her cheeks, over her hands. But Troy was deaf to all this, his brain shutting down as his heart felt like it was going to explode. 

“Troy,” Lio said gently, his voice choking up as Troy’s breathing got shallower, and he held onto Lio’s shirt, eyes squeezed shut as tears leaked out. “Troy, please breathe, it’s okay. I got you,” he whispered, rubbing Troy's back as he helped him stand. Kipo timidly reached out, still curled into herself, but Troy reached out, grabbing her hand tightly as he drew shaky breaths. 

“Did you say nectar bomb?” he finally managed to choke out, keeping his eyes trained to the ground. He was too scared to look up, to see the response, but Kipo’s quiet sob was enough confirmation for him. 

“We’re trying every way, but I’m just so, ugh!” Kipo groaned, clutching her head in her hands, her graon morphing into crying. “I’m so sorry Troy, I know how much Benson means to you, I’m so sorry I’m like this, I’m so so sorry!”

But before she could say anything else, Troy wrapped Kipo in a hug, letting himself cry quietly, and he knew Kipo was doing the same. For that second, the fact that they were just kids caught in this whole crazy, scary mess mattered, and they felt all of it.

“I didn’t even tell Benson I,” Troy whispered, a sob replacing the word as he held onto Kipo tighter. 

“They’re my family, I, I can’t lose them, but I can’t lose myself either,” she said quietly, before pulling away, her expression hardening into one of determination. 

“I’m going back in,” she said quietly, and Lio and Yumyan looked at each other, concerned. But Kipo just took a deep breath, placing a hand on Troy’s shoulder. “I’m bringing them back. I’m bringing all of them back to you and me. You’ll be able to tell Benson what you want to say, whatever it takes,” she muttered quietly, clenching her fist. 

“I know you’ll bring them back Kipo,” Troy said quietly, grabbing her hand. “But not whatever it takes,” he replied, and Kipo raised an eyebrow in confusion. “You better bring yourself safe and sound too, Oak. Just because you’re a jaguar doesn’t mean you’re not like my little sister anymore.”

Kipo let out a watery laugh, punching Troy’s shoulder lightly. “You always were the big brother, weren’t you?” she said softly, and Troy smiled, stepping back out the door.

“Don’t worry, I’ll hold the fort down here,” he said, his chest tight as Kipo’s smile faded, and she nodded. 

“I’m getting them back,” she said firmly, nodding, and Troy smiled.

“I know,” he said quietly, before walking out of the hall, and he heard Kipo call to Mullholland, asking him to put her back under, Lio and Yumyan following suit.

And Troy walked to the edge of the branch, near the yarn, and screamed until his throat grew hoarse.

*

That night, Troy accompanied Asher and Dahlia to the top of the trees, where they all lay on the canopy, staring up at the deep purple sky studded with stars that twinkled like glitter spread on velvet. They lay in silence, none of them wanting to break the silence, to acknowledge the situation, because they were all worried beyond compare about Kipo, Wolf, Benson and Dave. Kipo had just left, and she and Troy had exchanged a silent nod, understanding each other completely. 

Troy looked up at the sky, the stars and constellations jumping out at him from all those times he, Kipo and Asher would devour astronomy books, and how Asher and Kipo would always compete in naming constellations on the drawing on Kipo’s ceiling, something that continued even after they came to the surface, when they all moved to Timbercat Village. 

That night was the first night Troy stargazed without Kipo.

He closed his eyes, trying to clear his mind, but all that played in his mind was repeating scenarios of everything going wrong, of Kipo being cured, of Benson being captured again, of Benson getting hurt, of the nectar bomb over his head. 

Of losing Benson forever. 

(Troy didn’t know it yet, but these nightmares would never fully leave. They’d still be there, years upon years later, clawing at him in the dead of the night, pulling him out of bed in a cold sweat. The only difference being that, all those times, Benson, his boyfriend, then fiance, then husband, would be there by his side, holding him, reminding him of what’s real. Troy did it whenever Benson had nightmares about his childhood, losing Kipo, the fight with Emilia, after all. It came and went, that’s all. They had each other through it all.)

But that night, Troy looked back up at the stars, hoping with every part of him, that he didn’t lose his friends, that they came back. That he would get the chance to tell Benson how he felt.

Just one glimpse of relief to carry him through the next few hours. Maybe then it would work.

**Author's Note:**

> benroy: are literally the happiest boyfriends  
> me, and all of kipo brainrot gc on twt: but what if there was angst?
> 
> they're kids in a war, they're bound to break, but this broke me to write cuz i just love these characters so much pls. but yeah, this just came from nowhere lol enjoy! its just a little of what we all thought troy's reaction to this whole situation would be, and how worried he must have been before that scene at the start of ep 5
> 
> comments/kudos appreciated!
> 
> twt: @ghostboyfs  
> tumblr: thirteen-beaxhes


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